Introduction : Sleep disturbances among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are a commonly reported problem . One of the methods to improve sleep quality is aromatherapy . The present study aims to examine the effect of inhaling essential oil of orange on sleep quality among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia .

Methods : This is a quasi-experimental study in which 60 children admitted to oncology unit of Shafa hospital affiliated to Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Ahvaz, Iran) were allocated in two intervention and control groups . Research instruments were demographic information questionnaire and the standard Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Subjects included hospitalized school-aged children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and with sleep quality score of higher than 41. Intervention included inhaling essential oil of orange, three days a week, three times daily. In control group, distilled water was used as placebo. Data was analyzed using SPSS software, version 21.

Results: Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of main characteristics. There was a significant decrease in sleep quality score in intervention group before and after intervention (74.86±8.94 and 52.91±11.14 respectively, p<0.0001) but this difference was not significant in control group.

Conclusion : Results showed that inhaling essential oil of orange has a positive impact on sleep quality among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and it can be used as a useful method in improving their quality of sleep .